Dye sublimation is a process employing heat and pressure to convert solid dyes into gaseous form without entering an intermediate liquid phase. Such a process can infuse colored dye into certain compatible materials, such as polyester or ceramics, to create a permanent printed image on the material.
Advances in printing technology and materials have made dye sublimation printing systems more accessible to the general public. Markets are developing for personalized, customized goods with sublimated graphics, but limitations of current printing solutions have prevented further integration and saturation within the marketplace. Safety is a concern, as many printing systems may present pinching hazards, expose users to potentially dangerous stored energy sources, and necessarily employ high levels of heat and pressure that could injure an untrained operator. Many systems also have large footprints that prevent ready deployment in a retail setting. Finally, the printing process can be complex, with multiple loading, aligning, and transporting steps. Development of a compact, automated sublimation printing system is needed in the art.
Several features are desirable in an integrated sublimation printing system designed for a retail environment. A versatile system capable of offering numerous sublimated products for customization would be valuable to the marketplace. Expediting, streamlining, and fully automating the printing and sublimation process would also increase efficiency and profitability. A key issue in designing and implementing such a system and process is that not all sublimated products are created equal. Various factors in a sublimation task might require alterations to the sublimation thermal cycle, including changes to the thermal cycle's temperature, duration, and pressure. Any number of criteria could implicate alterations in the thermal cycle, including the material comprising the sublimated product, the size of the product, the age and status of the system components, and even characteristics of the image to be sublimated. Failing to create an automated system to account for these variables results in either a “one-size-fits-all” thermal cycle that may result in misprinted or lower quality printed products, or a trial and error approach that is unsuited to a consumer environment. Each of these approaches results in frustrated customers, loss of goodwill and market opportunity, and significant wasted capital.
One attempt at a dye sublimation printer system capable of printing on multiple products in an industrial application is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,308,891 (the '891 patent) issued to Drake, et al. on Nov. 13, 2012. The '891 patent is directed primarily towards sublimating images on plastic, though “metals, stone, wood, waxes, polymers, monomers, resins, textiles, fabrics, glasses, minerals, leather, and composites thereof” are also contemplated.
As a preliminary step, the system of the '891 patent fuses together a polymeric plastic product and a printed image sheet made of cellulosic paper treated with a plastic substance. The fusion occurs within a pressurized system. The plastic product and image sheet are kept under the same pressure as they are heated and cooled, resulting in the sublimation of the image from the image sheet onto the product. The heating temperature and duration are based on “optimal” conditions “empirically” determined, apparently by trial and error, for the given plastic product. The product and the image sheet are then separated.
Although the systems and methods disclosed in the '891 patent may assist an operator in sublimating onto various products, the disclosed system is limited. Although a conveyor belt system is disclosed, the '891 system does not otherwise easily lend itself to streamlined automation. No integrated system is disclosed, and there is no capability for an untrained user to operate the system. The '891 system requires laborious empirical optimization of temperature and duration of a thermal cycle, and constant monitoring of the complex process. These limitations render the system of '891 patent unsuitable for a consumer-oriented system in the retail environment.
The disclosed system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or elsewhere in the prior art. The disclosed system is intended to satisfy the need for a point-of-sale customization approach in retail-oriented sublimation systems.